The Charleston Battery meet their Major League Soccer affiliate, Atlanta United, for the first time in history Saturday night at MUSC Health Stadium. Both sides have a chance to etch their names on the Carolina Challenge Cup trophy with a win.
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Charleston is coming off back-to-back draws with Seattle Sounders and Columbus Crew SC in their opening two matches of CCC. Kotaro Higashi scored a 92nd minute equalizer to earn a point for the Battery against the defending MLS champions in the first match a week ago. Forrest Lasso’s first half goal helped Charleston to a second consecutive draw three nights later.
Atlanta United fell, 2-1, to Columbus Crew SC in their opening match of the Challenge Cup. A sixth minute goal from Josef Martinez pushed United in front early, but Fredrico Higauin’s second half brace earned three points for Columbus.
The MLS expansion club bounced back from the opening match loss with a 4-2 victory over Seattle Wednesday night. Two goals within the first five minutes set the tone for Atlanta, who cruised to three points against a side made up primarily of Seattle reserves. Clint Dempsey and some of the more experienced Sounders entered the match in the 70th minute and made things interesting, but the four-goal lead was too much to overcome.
The affiliates both have a chance to win the Challenge Cup trophy Saturday night, depending on the result of the first match. Columbus Crew currently sit in first place with four points, followed by Atlanta (three points), Charleston (two points) and Seattle (one point). Crew SC can win the tournament with a win against Seattle, but any other result opens the door for Atlanta and Charleston.
A Columbus draw and a Battery win would result in a tie at the top of the table. The tiebreaker rules are as follows:
- Head-to-head result
- Goal differential
- Higher number of goals scored
- Higher number of wins
- If the teams are equal after the above criteria, the trophy will be shared between the teams at the top of the rankings
The Charleston Battery have never won the Carolina Challenge Cup, so the team will look to capitalize if given the chance to do so Saturday night. Battery Head Coach Mike Anhaeuser has used the CCC matches to get looks at a few trialists and players out of contract and is expected to do the same on Saturday. The MLS teams, however, have played many of their star players in preparation for their regular season openers the weekend of March 3rd.
“Obviously these are preseason matches, but we always want to win,” said Battery Head Coach Mike Anhaeuser. “Results aren’t necessarily the primary focus in this tournament; we’ve rotated players in and out and given minutes to almost 30 guys. If we’re able to do that and win the Cup, I think it will be a fantastic boost for us heading into the USL season.”
The Battery play five more preseason matches following the conclusion of Challenge Cup and prior to the start of the regular season. Charleston will use the remainder of preseason to continue to build towards the 2017 USL opener against FC Cincinnati on March 25th.
Columbus Crew SC vs Seattle Sounders kicks off at 4:30 pm on Saturday, followed by the Charleston Battery vs. Atlanta United at 7:00 pm. The Three Lions Pub is open to the public beginning when gates open at 3:00pm.
